Waterbury evening Democrat., 1887-12-24
LETTER TOPOPE LEO.
LETTER FROM THE CATHOLIC HER ARcHY OF THE UNITED STATES.
Presented to His Holiness at the Vatican Yesterday-Congratula the Sovereign Pontif Upon the Completion of His Fiftieth Year in the Priesthood.

Fiftieth Year in the Priesthood.
 LONDON, Dec 24-The following is lib eral translation from the Latin of the letter from the Catholic hierarchy of America to Pore Leo, congratulating him upon the at. tainment of the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination. The letter was delivered to his holiness yesterday:
 MOST HOLY FATHER-As the devotion of a Christian people, the dignity of your see and importance of the deeds done by you cer- tainly demand, the whole world now con- graduates you on the fiftieth joyful and glorious anniversary of that day whereon you received the Christian priesthood. Just half century has elasped since you dedi- cated yourself wholly to God, and solemnly pledged yourself to serve in performing the sacred rites of his temple and furthering di- vine worship. Nor have you ever been found wanting in the fulfillment of your duty or your promises. All are aware that scarcely were you admitted to the service of the altar when you be- in every virtue. Then, when you were honored with the bishops miter, nothing was nearer your heart than the upholding and extending of the bonor and authority of God and his holy church by upright laws and regulations. But when the provident mind of your predecessor appointed you to aid in carrying on the public business of the church, it can scarcely be told with what prudence, what wisdom and what happy success you acquitted yourself of your charge. And when at length you were ele- vated to that exalted position to which your virtue, your divinely conferred genius and the other endowments of your mind have bidden you, you assuredly proved not only that the cardinals who elected you, but that God himself in his mercy, looked to the good of the church in these evil days. For, mindful of what has been done by your pre- decessors and walking in the footsteps of those who, under the same name which you bear, have with so great honor occupied the chair of St. Peter, you have left nothing unattempted to bring back to the pathway of rectitude both those of your own flock and those without the fold who have strayed from Christian truth. Often in- deed have you recalled to their minds and held strongly before them in solemn terms the eternal law of God, without the support of which neither the family, nor human society, nor even civil government itself can subsist. Which law (thou ,h it is clearer than sunlight, since it was revealed by God, and by the aid of the reason it is made more manifest and better established) philosophers, wrongly so called, have now for three centuries striven to remove from their own minds and from the minds of all nations. This they do with such insistence that there are some, even among Catholics, who seem to be entrapped by these fallacies, and to be hurried headlong to ruin by the onset of this growing error
 Deeply in truth were we rejoiced, most holy father. when lately, with such wisdom ond tad thn hao L,,. majesty of your see by reconciling discordant rulers and peoples of Europe. It seemed to us that those happy times had almost re- turned in which the Roman pontiff was looked upon as the father of all princes and of all nations who glory in the Christian name. In carrying through these transac tions such prudence was manifested by you such benignity, such sincere love of peace and concord that far distant posterity will wonder how out of powerful enemies you made friends and almost sons.
 But, when we remember the many bene fits with which you have enriched tn. American church, we are moved to rende, you thanks with our whole soul, and would that we were able fully to do so The one thing granted us to perform that we do, ant to-day most willingly we join with oul brethren spread throughout the entire world and on this anniversary of your elevation to the priesthood we offer you our mos heartfelt congratulations. We beg for yo, from Almighty God all happiness and pros perity, and especially that he may preserv you as long as possible for the good of tn
 Christian commonwealth.
 Prostrate at the feet of your holiness W
 earnestly beseech the Apostolic benediction
 The letter is signed by Cardinal Gibbons
 all the archbishops and bishops in the Unite
 States.
 President Cleveland and the Pone.